Like many of Edgar Allan Poe's reads “The Cask of Amontillado” can easily exceed many reader’s idea of an eerie tale. This piece, told through the eyes of someone set on murdering another man who considers the distraught individual a friend of his, really provokes tension, suspense and mystery. These engendered feelings are created by Poe’s use of literary elements such as imagery, foreshadowing and the story’s setting. Although there are countless other causes for the mystery, tension and suspense, the three elements mentioned previously are some of the most pronounced.
The most important of every story revolves around the setting, and the setting in this particular piece, imposes a sense of mystery throughout the read. The fact that this …show more content…
An aspect of the story that is most explicitly foreshadowed is the implication that Montresor is really going to kill his nemesis, not just saying that he will.The text implies this certainty of the mortality of Fortunato is stated after Fortunato had just recovered from a coughing fit, ““Enough” he said; “the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.””(347) in which Montresor responded: ““True-true,””(347). This is foreshadowing the fact that Fortunato will not die from a cough, but from Montresor’s own murder plot, and this causes suspense by leaving the reader wondering how or when Fortunato is going to meet his death. Another example of the use of foreshadowing to create suspense is that Fortunato is intoxicated, thus he is easily deceived. Montresor perceives Fortunato’s appearance by thinking “He turned toward me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication”(347). The suspense caused by knowing that Fortunato is drunk and vulnerable, that it would be no struggle for Montresor to carry out his wishes to kill him, is strongly permeated throughout the story. Although suspense is present within the read from other literary elements, foreshadowing is a prominent factor in said
The most important of every story revolves around the setting, and the setting in this particular piece, imposes a sense of mystery throughout the read. The fact that this …show more content…
An aspect of the story that is most explicitly foreshadowed is the implication that Montresor is really going to kill his nemesis, not just saying that he will.The text implies this certainty of the mortality of Fortunato is stated after Fortunato had just recovered from a coughing fit, ““Enough” he said; “the cough is a mere nothing; it will not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.””(347) in which Montresor responded: ““True-true,””(347). This is foreshadowing the fact that Fortunato will not die from a cough, but from Montresor’s own murder plot, and this causes suspense by leaving the reader wondering how or when Fortunato is going to meet his death. Another example of the use of foreshadowing to create suspense is that Fortunato is intoxicated, thus he is easily deceived. Montresor perceives Fortunato’s appearance by thinking “He turned toward me, and looked into my eyes with two filmy orbs that distilled the rheum of intoxication”(347). The suspense caused by knowing that Fortunato is drunk and vulnerable, that it would be no struggle for Montresor to carry out his wishes to kill him, is strongly permeated throughout the story. Although suspense is present within the read from other literary elements, foreshadowing is a prominent factor in said